When it comes to the whelping area or the sleeping quarters just remember the better they are built the harder they are to clean. If you got all out lengths to make it like nature, then you will have a hard time with access to it for cleanup. I will say dogs in the wild have dogs on the ground /on the dirt, but they are not enclosed and shit two to three feet away. Dogs enclosed or chained track shit regardless of how many times it is cleaned daily or how small the turds are. They track that to the whelping area so ease of cleaning has to be factored in to the design. This is from personal experience. I built one once for beagles. It was a normal run but to get to the whelping area, the dog went thru the door, made a left and then another left. It was warm and secluded and I was quite proud of the build. But it was tough to keep clean. Nothing wrong going all out on a project for the dogs but keep in mind the time it takes to keep them up. best of luck. EWO